At the height of his phenomenal powers, a typical touring day for Prince would involve a four-hour soundcheck and a three-hour show, before he checked in to a local studio to ‘start work’. “He would consider 1am, after playing a stadium show, the point at which his day could begin,” remembers Susan Rogers, the sound engineer who helped polish some of the finest pop diamonds ever made. “I didn’t get a chance to form memories, because I didn’t sleep long enough to form them,” she has said of the furiously creative period from 1983 to ‘87 that she spent working with this musical polymath and pioneer.
Perhaps never before or since has such a tireless work ethic been matched by equally outrageous talent and vision. For a glimpse of that ludicrous virtuosity, and the awestruck esteem in which Prince was held by other artists, treat yourself to six minutes watching his performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps at George Harrison’s posthumous 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Rock royalty Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and Jeff Lynne are rendered redundant by his blistering fretboard work – guitar tossed nonchalantly into the air at its conclusion.
This issue hits the streets on what would have been Prince’s 60th birthday, and our cover story celebrates the astonishing output he unleashed from 1978 to ‘88 – 10 albums that shaped the future of pop and are still being emulated by bands and solo artists today. Sadly, he joined the group of musical giants taken from us too soon, in 2016 – five days after attending Record Store Day at his local record shop in Minnesota and buying albums by Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Santana. Once you’ve finished reading our tribute to this singular genius, turn to p52 for our Essential Prince feature and find out which of the Purple One’s records are missing from your own collection.
Elsewhere this issue, we speak to Johnny Marr about his best solo album to date, Call The Comet, meet Wire and Josh T. Pearson, and hear from legendary 4AD artist-in-residence Vaughan Oliver about creating sleeves for indie classics by Pixies, The Breeders and Cocteau Twins. We take an in-depth look at the making of one of the best-selling records of all time, Carole King’s Tapestry, meet the people behind the Drag City label – a Chicago institution with an eclectic roster and a true sense of community – and Mark Elliott explores Belfast in the latest instalment of The Trip. Thanks for reading.